Media Nugget

A Collaboration with Nature

Andy Goldsworthy
A Collaboration with Nature
1990

To any artist who was ever discouraged by the ridiculous cost of materials, Andy Goldsworthy is an inspiration. Finding his subjects in nature, he creates sculptures out of organic objects (stone, wood, leaves, ice, snow) without leaving a permanent mark on the environment. From simple thorn-stitched leaf rainbows and spheres of slate to undulating rivers of fallen trees, Goldsworthy challenges our perception of nature and how to be in harmony with it. A Collaboration with Nature makes one hell of a coffee table book, so don't be surprised if you lose a guest or two, entranced by these amazing photographs.

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Frank Capra
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936

This classic screwball comedy features Gary Cooper as a "pixilated" small-town poet who moves to the city after he inherits millions. Jean Arthur is Babe Bennett, the sassy, unsentimental reporter looking for a story. After dubbing Mr. Deeds the "Cinderella Man," she proceeds to lose her slipper to his charm. Our hero finds himself in trouble with the law for his "insane desire to be a public benefactor" until Babe takes the stand in his defense. Bonus points if you can think of a rhyme for Budington.

The Obscure Store and Reading Room

Jim Romenesko
The Obscure Store and Reading Room

Journalist Romenesko scours the web's newspapers and magazines for those perfect "man bites dog" stories, turning his fascination with bizarre news into this lively and addictive site. It's all here -- the sick, the twisted and the just plain stupid. But what's that? You want more? How about great links to news outlets like AP, Reuters, Liz Smith, and the Smoking Gun. Still not enough? Check out shelf after shelf of underground media -- Duplex Planet to The Palindromist to West Virginia Surf Report.

The Girl in the Flammable Skirt

Aimee Bender
The Girl in the Flammable Skirt
1998

Amazon.com's customer reviews are always a great read, not so much for the advice, but as an unedited transcript of public nuttiness. While the negative reviews are usually the best, you'll rarely see reactions as divided and intense as for Aimee Bender's debut book of short stories. These surreal tales of loss and lust inspire both adoration and venom. You can almost see the spit flying as one reviewer types: "Kafka she ain't!" In the end, the conversation makes for fascinating reading. And, in my humble opinion, so do Bender's stories.

Bad Love

Randy Newman
Bad Love
1999

Following close on the heels of Guilty, a 4-CD career retrospective, Bad Love offers darkness from every corner of Newman's personal Pandora's box. You'll hear sad tales from the songwriter himself ("I Miss You") and from a brilliant supporting cast -- the lecher ("Shame"), the historian ("Great Nations of Europe"), the fool ("I'm Dead") -- each character's voice as clear as if they'd stepped straight out of a novel. And while Newman's pop-music idiosyncrasy has always been the distance between the singer and the fictional narrators of his songs, with Bad Love, the distinction seems unimportant -- it's all lies, it's all hilarious, it's all sad, and it's all true.

Antonia's Line

Marleen Gorris
Antonia's Line
1996

The radiant Dutch film Antonia's Line offers the story of four generations of strong women in a small village. When Antonia, the matriarch, returns home to her family farm after World War II, her grandeur of spirit infuses the lives of the people around her. The fluid narrative balances Fellini-esque magical realism (village idiots and talking statues) with the certain rhythms of country seasons, while the film's cinematography evokes a 16th-century Flemish landscape inhabited by characters who might have stepped straight out of a Brueghel painting.

JibJab

JibJab

While most animation sites seem like works-in-progress at best, the folks at JibJab know exactly what they're doing. Flash cartoons like Capitol Ill, which features Al Gore and George W. Bush busting out stupid-fresh rhymes, are both technically adroit and bizarrely funny. Of all the ways to waste time at work, this is one of the best.

Ed Ruscha

Ed Ruscha

From his early paintings, which featured a single stylized word emblazoned on a solid background, to his recent canvasses of mountain peaks superimposed with seemingly unrelated text, much of Ed Ruscha's work explores the relationship between image and language. Despite this motif, his portfolio is well mixed, including everything from photo-essays documenting gas stations, swimming pools, and parking lots, to a series of paintings stained with cherry extract, egg yolks, and spinach. Always sharp, sometimes enigmatic, Ruscha's art undoubtedly provokes responses just as varied as his subjects and techniques.

Weasel

Dave Cooper
Weasel

Weasel is, among other things, a confession of perversions, a love letter, a pillow book, a loony toon, a book of lush drawings, and an entertaining comic book. The main story, concerning an artist struggling to write a memoir of his obsessive relationship with a full-figured model, is shaping up to be one of the most passionate and personal illustrated narratives ever written.

#1 Record/Radio City

Big Star
#1 Record/Radio City
1972/1974

Comprising a veritable Rosetta Stone of modern indie rock, these two albums are the key to understanding everything from the Replacements to the Blake Babies to Nirvana to Teenage Fanclub. Put simply, it's just great power pop. The fact that the music never found much of an audience during the band's lifetime only adds to the mythic vibe. Thankfully, these two gems were resurrected and reissued together on CD in 1992.